“Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.” Psalm 60:12

Anita, pray for us.” My friend’s voice echoed over the phone. “Yesterday we dedicated our homeschool before beginning our new school year, and crazy things started to happen.” Her son had suffered a terrible nosebleed out of the blue, appliances broke in the house, and illness stuck. “I think it’s spiritual,” she ended.

Her words reminded me of April 2010. When I signed a contract to write a book of devotionals for homeschooling parents, I didn’t know I would be stepping into a field of landmines. Strange events left my family and me reeling over several weeks--weird illnesses, the possibility of losing my sight, disturbing yet unexplained lab results, and a car crash--to name a few.

In an effort to understand what was happening, I turned to Scripture. Ephesians 6:10-18 indicates that spiritual warfare is a certainty for believers. We, who ...

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Remember how short my time is…Psalm 89:47

As I start a new semester, I’m keeping in mind a valuable lesson…

Last fall my schedules that looked so good on paper didn’t translate very well into real life—school with an active toddler and a middle schooler. The more intense pace of middle school led to longer school days. As activities started, I began living in the urgent. Home, school, kids, caring for an aging mother, Bible study, support groups, co-op…How was I going to manage everything?

“Lower your expectations. Take time for what’s important,” my husband advised. As I began to prayerfully re-prioritize, I was surprised. My list of “important things” focused on a single, intangible, precious, yet seemingly hard-to-come-by commodity–time.

1. Time with God:“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ...

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To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

My eyes blurred as I read the e-mail from our homeschool group. “Our dear sister is home with the Lord.”

A tear splashed on the keyboard as my mind traveled back several months ago to the last time I saw her.

“Anita,” she pulled a pillow closer and rested her thin, bony hand on it. “I know I won’t live to see my boys graduate.” I swallowed and turned away. My eyes fell on her elementary-aged sons’ drawings and notes that decorated the bedroom walls.

“So I’m writing notes for them for each year till they graduate. See!” Her voice drew me back as she grabbed a notebook from her nightstand, sending a ripple through the dozens of medicine bottles.

“I want to write a card for each of their birthdays till they reach 18, and a note for them on their wedding days. But I get so tired.”

The cancer that had invaded her body two years ag...

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It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.Lamentations 3:22-24

Faithfulness. That’s what comes to mind as we end another school year. Though relief and a sense of accomplishment set in, gratitude for God’s faithfulness overwhelms me. We made it through our first year of middle school!

In the Old Testament, the Israelites set up memorials as reminders of God’s faithfulness. When God gave them victory over the Philistines, “Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Hitherto hath the LORD helped us’” (1 Samuel 7: 12).

So I asked my daughter to write down ways in which God had been faithful through this academic year.

Why is it important to remember His faithfulness?

It encourages us. S...

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Are you battling the homeschool “slump”? Are you wondering about what to do in the upcoming school year?

Proverbs 3:5-7 offers deep truths for our continued homeschool journey.
1. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding. God has called us to homeschool. Though the journey has many blessings, it also has tough moments and days.
This year we began our seventh year of homeschooling, and I realize more than ever that the secret to homeschooling lies in trusting the Lord. I am inadequate, in my own strength and wisdom, to successfully homeschool my children. Whenever I think I know it or I can do it on my own, I fail miserably. It is only His power and wisdom that enables me to teach my kids what they need to know—academically, spiritually, emotionally. It is only His strength that helps me stay this path. As I depend on Him with every fiber of my being, He will empower me to be the channel of wisdom, truth and love to my...

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"…So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:18; The New Living Translation

Are you having trouble keeping up with all that you’re supposed to do? As homeschoolers we deal with co-ops, enrichment days, and a seemingly endless list of various activities, in addition to the regular tasks of daily living. A Barna study showed that homeschool parents were more likely to say they were “stressed out,” [and] “too busy.”

Would I make any changes to my schedules, homeschooling and life if I were to consider them the point of view of eternity? It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while as my family has weathered some difficult times, as we cope with a turbulent economy, and as some families I know face tragic circumstances.

When I need guidance, I usually go to the Rock, and in Jesu...

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How was your 2009 school year? If yours was like mine, there were ups and downs, challenges, triumphs and frustrations.

So, is there anything you’d like to change as you go back to school in 2010?

As I begin a new semester, I’m glad that the mistakes and frustrations of 2009 are past:

“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? (Isaiah 43: 18, 19; The Message).

God’s blessed me with a new year--a fresh start at school. He’s wiped the slate clean of my mistakes, and by His grace, I can look forward to a new year, living in His power and strength.

Yes, there will be ups and down this school year, but I know He will be with me. I’m grabbing onto hope and looking forward to His grace being sufficient for my homeschooling.

What about you?

“Come on people, get with it!” my friend grumbled. “Take down your Christmas decorations! It’s been a month anyway,” she exclaimed, exasperated, as we passed a few neighborhoods still adorned with wreaths and lights.

I peered at her out of the corner of my eye to see if she was joking. She was serious.

Christmas is a special time of year. A time to celebrate God Incarnate: the One who came to free us from sin. Family times, once-in-a-year culinary delights, carols, gifts, decorations—all come out in celebrati“on of the greatest Gift of all.

But should our celebration of Christ be relegated to only once a year? How would my life and those of my children change if we lived in constant celebration of the Messiah? Here are some observations I have gleaned from the Christmas story that can impact the way we live throughout the year:

• Christ is Emmanuel, God with us, not for a season or a special time of year, but always! How can we not revel in this hope and cel...

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I sank into bed, every muscle aching.

It had been one of those days. A school day no one wishes would ever happen, but one that’s sometimes a reality with homeschooling…

“I don’t get it.” My eldest drummed her feet on the floor and buried her head in her hands.

“What don’t you get?”

“This.” And she jabbed the book so hard, it fell off the table. I picked up the Math text book.

“But what don’t you get? It’s not like decimals are a new concept.”

“It’s, it’s just so hard. It doesn’t make sense.” And she burst into tears.

Oh, Lord, help us, please.

My day went down-hill after that. My toddler fussed her way through the day. Nothing I did seemed to ease her irritability. My aging mother seemed more needy that day. By the time my husband walked in the door, I was frazzled, and longed for some quiet.

As I fell into bed, I prayed, “Lord, please let tomorrow be a better day.”

The next morning I awoke to my toddler’s cr...

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Other than taking time for the Lord on a daily basis and learning to abide in Him, what else is important?

As promised, here’s my list:

1. Time for my family: Yes, I homeschool, and yes, my kids are with me 24/7. So how much more time do I want with them? Well, I want to relate to them outside of school—to have fun times with them, to make memories, to enjoy them way from the stresses that come with homeschooling. So we go on dates, have a movie afternoon, include some fun in our school day and week on a regular basis.

It’s important that my husband and I schedule regular time for each other—to chat, to hang out, with and without the kids. We’re not talking about expensive dates, but a few minutes a day to talk and to pray, so we can feel like we’re a part of each others’ lives.

2. Time for others: Taking time to spend with others—not just social time, but time to reach out. To help someone in need—that phone call, writing a note or sendin...

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